Confronting the Crisis: ICT Stimulus Plans for Economic Growth i. Message from the ITU Secretary-General 6 1. Executive Summary 9 2. A Story of Crash, Crunch and Crisis 15 2.1 Economic Outlook - Is the End in Sight? 15 2.2 Policy Responses to Recession 18 3. Stimulus Plans and the ICT Industry 25 3.1 What Role for ICTs & Broadband in Stimulus? 25 3.2 The Changing Face of Financing – Is Government Back? 48 3.3 Developing Countries & The Digital Divide 53 4. Impact of the Financial Crisis on the ICT Industry 59 4.1 The ICT Industry 59 4.2 Wireless Communication Technologies 62 4.3 Fixed Broadband Internet and NGN 69 4.4 Satellite Technologies 74 5. Conclusions: Investing in the Future 81 List of Abbreviations and Acronyms 83 References 85